Really? One measure of whether compensation meets the needs of an organization is to take a look at turnover. How many of the incumbents seek re-election in any given cycle? There have been roughly 30 retirement announcements for this term, a few of which may involve seeking a Senate office. Thirty out of 435 equals a turnover rate of less than 7% — which would not sound like a compensation crisis to anyone in the business world.

Perhaps Moran thinks that Congress over-performs for their compensation. Well, good luck making that case. The base salary of $174,000 is three and a half times the average median household income in the US. Congress hasn’t had a raise since 2010; median household income has declined since that time. For that salary (and we haven’t even begun to consider the cushy benefits of Congress members), the taxpayers that pay those bills rate Congressional performance at 13/79, according to RCP’s latest poll average. It was 22/71 in 2010, the last time Congress got a raise; why should they get another when their performance reviews are dropping rather than improving?

Moran has an answer for that:

The senior appropriator pointed out that some members have taken to living out of their offices to save money, while others have “small little apartment units” that make it impossible to spend the time they should with their families.

Most state legislatures provide their members with a per diem allowance, Moran argues, so the federal government should do the same.

Most state legislatures provide the per diem because their legislatures are a part-time job, with part-time pay. Besides, most members of Congress seem pretty far from enduring a life of poverty. And if they were, perhaps they’d treat their office as a temporary service to their country rather than a family sinecure, such as the Dingells have done.

If it encourages politicians to quit fossilizing themselves into their Capitol Hill offices, we should cut their pay rather than raise it.

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Perhaps Moran thinks that Congress over-performs for their compensation.

I missed that.
Well DUH, you do over-perform. Your job is to follow the Constitution of the United States of America. Here you have underperformed on every single aspect of the job. You effectively get 0s on every measure of following the constitution. On the other hand though, those things you are not supposed to be doing… you are doing infinitely more than you should be, because if the constitution does not allow it it is forbidden. That which is not authorized is forbidden in our Constitution.
So, I got a hint for you idiots. Just follow the Constitution of the United States of America and your job will be infinitely easier and you will be appropriately paid.

It actually worries me that a job that pays so little for the amount of influence acquired is pursued so vigorously. Maybe the pay should be increased if only to make corruption less appealing and to bring in better quality.

If these feckless, hubris-filled blowhards are underpaid, how is that they ‘retire’ exponentially richer than when they entered gummint ‘service’. They are now too well ‘serviced’ by the taxpayer and their crony pals. This headless wonder should be ‘retired’ to the Funny Farm.

Moran tries to claim the Congress runs the largest corporation in the world, and so they should be compensated accordingly. OK, I can get on board with that. Let’s eliminate all salaries for elected officials and institute profit sharing. Produce a surplus, get a percentage.

It actually worries me that a job that pays so little for the amount of influence acquired is pursued so vigorously. Maybe the pay should be increased if only to make corruption less appealing and to bring in better quality.

The arrogance of this man is really the norm in Congress. That, coupled with ignorance is why he would even utter such nonsense. Notice the very low tone of his complaint….like he didn’t want anyone else to hear.

Perhaps he thinks he is underpaid because they purposely overwork to get their pet projects funded. The Founders original view of Congress is that they would only be able to work a few months out of the year because of the conditions of the swamp in which they were condemned to run the federal government. I blame air-conditioning for much of our government overreach…

Such would be the mindset of a hard core liberal Democrat — even if they make crony capitalist deals with liberal Democratic donors, they’re still jealousy of the salaries private industry pays out, because in their minds, those people don’t deserve that type of compensation, the politicians do, because they’re smarter, more important and all-in-all just far more wonderful than any money-grubbing business person.

Moran should be the last person to complain about his salary, since he’s one of the handful of people in Congress who doesn’t have to own a second home, since his Congressional district is right across the Potomac. But it’s not enough that Washington and the surrounding area is swallowing up all the country’s money, to the point that 60 percent of the Top 25 richest counties in the U.S. are the ones surrounding D.C. — If anything, seeing all those lobbyists and others making big salaries from sucking off government contracts and other spending makes Moran even more jealous and angry and he and his buddies in Congress aren’t at or near the top of the Washington salary compensation heap.

Moran, the oldest of seven children, was born in Buffalo, New York, and grew up in Natick, Massachusetts, a suburb west of Boston. His parents were Dorothy (Dwyer) and James Patrick Moran, Sr., a professional football player for the Boston Redskins in 1935 and 1936; outside of football he worked as a probation officer.[2] Both his father and mother were Roosevelt Democrats and supporters of the New Deal. Moran attended Marian High School in Framingham, Massachusetts. (He still retains a Boston accent.[3][4])

Moran played college football on an athletic scholarship at the College of the Holy Cross,[5] where his father had been a football star in the early 1930s. Moran was awarded a B.A. in economics in 1967. In 1970 he received a Master of Public Administration from the University of Pittsburgh. During a campaign in 1992, Moran admitted that he had tried marijuana during his early twenties.[6]

After a brief career as a stockbroker, and attending graduate school, Moran moved to Washington, D.C.[5]

He worked for five years at the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, as a budget officer, then became a senior specialist for budgetary and fiscal policy at the Library of Congress. His final position, from 1976 to 1979, was on the staff of U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations.[7]

In 1979, Moran was elected to the Alexandria, Virginia, City Council. He was deputy mayor from 1982 until his resignation in 1984 as part of a nolo contendere plea bargain to a misdemeanor conflict of interest charge, which courts later erased. The incident stemmed from charges that Moran had used money from a political action committee to rent a tuxedo and buy Christmas cards; both of which were later judged by the Commonwealth Attorney to “fit the definition of constituent services”, and were dismissed.[8]

In 1985 Moran was elected Mayor of Alexandria. He was reelected in 1988,[9] and resigned after he was elected to Congress in November 1990.

Wiki

In short, Moran has really never held a paying job outside of government, with the exception of a short stint as a stockbroker, in which pay is basically performance-based. My guess is his performance wasn’t exactly stellar.

The thing is, Congresscritters (most of whom have either law degrees or degrees in some PC field like, well, “economics” or “political science”) get paid more than they would for teaching at the college level, but less than they could probably make as private-practice injury lawyers, etc.

But that is also “performance-based”, a category that the likes of Moran tend to avoid like the plague.

This probably explains his attitude. He wants to be paid just for existing. And oh yes, for being a “thought leader”.

You know, in the mystical Eastern cultures those like Moran love so much, that problem is generally solved by sitting in the lotus position on a street corner. With a begging bowl.

But of course, there’s no power in that. And a sadhu can’t really hurt anyone without grave risk to himself.

Those like Moran want power, and want the ability to punish anyone they dislike, disapprove of, or just want to destroy for the sheer hell of it. And they also want to be rich, and worshiped, while they’re doing it. As well as being insulated from the consequences of their own actions, at all levels.

The fact that such seriously unstable individuals are in our “ruling class” tells you all you need to know about said “ruling class”.

I fly guys like Moran around the country for 75k per year, 100k less than he is paid. ( And I am paid more than most Americans ) I don’t have an office to sleep in when I am in base and away from home. I sleep in a motel room with 5 bunkbeds. ( 10 pilots total some nights )

Unlike a politician, most of us don’t somehow manage to become multi millionaires on low six figure salaries. We don’t retire to six figure pensions and free medical for life with as little as four years on the job either. ( OH, and we can’t be drunk all day at work like Moran and Boehner, to name two )

Congress is embattled against itself and the country is coming apart at the seams. And this guy thinks they’re overpaid? They should all be leaving at the end of their current terms, make way for fresh blood.

And that fresh blood should be a part time, work at home Congress with VPN. Let them work by conference call and implement secure online voting.

Tell ya what, Moran. So you don’t have to worry about how much your colleagues are paid, I’ll do everything in my power to make sure they do less to screw we the people over. That way they’ll earn what they do get paid. How about that?

Their congressional salaries are a drop in the bucket compared to the cash they receive for in the form of donations for such noble causes as bribery, extortion,, special interest funds, pork barrel projects, sweetheart deals and your basic garden variety corruption. Our elected officials are nothing but organized crime mobsters with diplomatic immunity from prison.

These bass tards should be working part time 3 months per year. Congress has been making laws and regulations for more than 200 years, we have enough laws and regulations.
How much more salary would be required to stop these “public servants” from accumulating wealth on the side? No matter, the pigs are at the trough. They’ll gobble as much as they can.

You know, David Eddings, an author, had what I consider a great idea once (that I’m modifying slightly): Confiscate their entire wealth when they join Congress or become a senior staffer, cabinet member, or President. Put it into trust.

Their only pay is tied to that trust. If the country grows, and the national debt shrinks, the value of their trust grows. If the economy shrinks and the debt grows, their trust shrinks.

Pretty simple. Any compensation outside of a stipend to buy food means immediate jail time. Each party has the duty of investigating the other party for violations, with a citizens committee as well to stop quid pro quo. If you find someone else committed fraud, and you can prove it, you get a percentage of their trust fund.

Compare this to Chicago alderman who have a base salary of $110,000 per year plus benefits. The position is considered part-time. Depressing that have we allowed our government to become our worst enemy.

Moran is lying by omission. He gets far more than just his base salary of $174,000 — a salary which, by the way, is increased automatically unless Congress votes to not allow it to happen (which is never).

He doesn’t mention that Congresscritters get a range of perks that increase their package to at least $285,000.

They’re in the 1% before we even get to the perks of office (which Congress votes itself). Wouldn’t you love to get free airport parking? A better retirement plan than most mere mortals? How about $900,000 a year to pay for office staff, and another quarter million for office supplies? Then there’s generous time off (over 200 days per year), with paid airfare and free airport parking.